Larry Brown Sports

Here is some advice on working the waiver wire in your fantasy league (for personal advice email larry at larrybrownsports.com):

Matchups to Avoid (at your discretion): Packers, Bears, and Steelers defenses are not impenetrable, but they’re good. Avoid Saints, Chargers, Giants, and Bears pass defense. Still avoid Steelers, Bears, Chargers, Jets run defense.

Matchups to Exploit (at your discretion): Houston, Buffalo, Seattle, Jacksonville, New England and Oakland’s secondary (Asomugha is out). Buffalo, Arizona, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Denver, and Indy’s run defense.

The waiver wire has been thinner and thinner the past few weeks because players have been able to stay healthy for the most part. An injury to Frank Gore made Brian Westbrook the top target, but outside of that we’re just picking at players who are likely available. Take a look at our thorough guide of working the waiver wire for advice on how to manage your fantasy football roster:

Brian Westbrook, RB, 49ers – Westbrook looked great on Monday night, running for 136 yards and a touchdown. With Frank Gore out for the season, Westbrook will be their feature back.
Toby Gerhart, RB, Vikings – Gerhart’s no Adrian Peterson (who is?), but he is a physical runner that would stand to get a lot of carries if an ankle injury keeps Peterson out.
Ben Obomanu, WR, Seahawks – Now the top receiver in Seattle, he hauled in an 87-yard score on Sunday and has scored in three of the last four games.
Matt Cassel, QB, Chiefs – We’ve frequently advised picking up Cassel as a one-week monster play, but now we’re just recommending picking him up. He’s a safe play most weeks because he doesn’t make mistakes. The connection with Dwayne Bowe, while likely to slow down, has helped his stats tremendously.
*Make sure they’re not still available: Todd Heap

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Here is some advice on working the waiver wire in your fantasy league (for personal advice email larry at larrybrownsports.com):

Matchups to Avoid (at your discretion): Packers defense has been awesome, plus Chicago and Pittsburgh’s D have been good too. Avoid Saints, Chargers, and Bears pass defense. Still avoid Steelers, Bears, Giants, Jets run defense. Green Bay’s defense is the best in the league, and Pittsburgh and Chicago are not too far behind.

Matchups to Exploit (at your discretion): Houston, Buffalo, Jacksonville, New England and Dallas’ secondary. Buffalo, Arizona, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Denver, and Indy’s run defense. Start a defense playing Carolina and Tennessee as long as Rusty Smith is starting.

Last week’s must-have gang featured the likes of Santonio Holmes, James Jones, and Brandon Pettigrew, all of whom had huge receiving games. We also recommended Mark Sanchez (315yds, 3TDs), Matt Cassel (192yds, 2TDs, no turnovers), KC (13 points allowed), and Baltimore (two defensive touchdowns) as our monster plays. That should be reason enough to trust our judgment. Here’s our advice for picking up free agents off the waiver wire in week 12:

Mike Tolbert, RB, Chargers – Unlikely to be available in your league once it was revealed Ryan Mathews wouldn’t play last week, Tolbert is a great pickup if he is available. Mathews is probably out on Sunday, making Tolbert a good bet for a score.
Maurice Morris, RB, Lions – Jahvid Best is bothered by turf toe making Morris the likely beneficiary. He can run and receive and should total 100 yards on Thursday.
Vincent Jackson, WR, Chargers – Likely available on your waiver wire, he’s back from his holdout this week. He’ll see even more targets with Crayton and Floyd hurt.
Keiland Williams, RB, Redskins – I wasn’t big on Keiland after his Monday night game, but with Clinton Portis hurt he should have the starting job until Ryan Torain is healthy. Starting running backs on decent offenses have value.
Brian Hartline, WR, Dolphins – We’ve recommended him before as a nice addition, but with Brandon Marshall out he should see more targets. Of course, that means he’ll get more attention from defenses too.
Sidney Rice, WR, Vikings – The big Minnesota target looked good hauling in three passes in his season debut last week. He won’t be the monster he was last year, but he still can do plenty.
*Make sure they’re not still available: James Jones

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Here is some advice on working the waiver wire in your fantasy league (for personal advice email larry at larrybrownsports.com):

Matchups to Avoid (at your discretion): Packers defense now that they’re healthy. Avoid Saints, Chargers, and Bears pass defense. Still avoid Steelers Giants, Jets run defense. Outside of Green Bay, there really is no true defense to avoid this year.

Matchups to Exploit (at your discretion): Houston, Buffalo, Jacksonville, New England and Dallas’ secondary. Buffalo, Arizona, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Denver, and Indy’s run defense. Start a defense playing Carolina and Seattle (SF falls off the list now that Troy Smith is starting).

We recommended Santonio Holmes as our must-have player last week and all he did was break out with the game-winning touchdown in overtime as the Jets’ leading receiver. Still not sold on our talents? Josh Freeman and David Garrard were touted as one-week monster plays at quarterback. Freeman threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 19 yards. Garrard had 342 yards passing and two touchdowns including the hail mary, plus 35 yards on the ground. Simply put, we know what we’re doing. Keep that in mind as you read through the rest of the advice:

Mario Manningham, WR, Giants – We gave him a special recommendation after word came out about Steve Smith’s pec injury and Manningham did not disappoint in his first start. 10 catches and a touchdown, he’ll be valuable as long as Smith is out.
Shonn Greene, RB, Jets – Demoted to second string at the beginning of the year, he’s now getting at least half the carries each game. I think he’ll be a common thread on many championship teams and will be a valuable contributor during fantasy playoffs. If someone dropped him, pick him up. Try to trade for him if you can (but don’t go overboard in what you give up).
Felix Jones, RB, Cowboys – Broke a screen pass for a 71-yard touchdown and showed what he can do in the passing game. He may become more involved in the offense with Garrett calling all the shots now. He’s already on most rosters, but if he’s available he could help your team down the stretch.
James Jones, WR, Packers – He had back-to-back 100-yard games after catching 8 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown a week ago and he looked great working with Aaron Rodgers. He’s available in most leagues.
Santonio Holmes, WR, Jets – Recorded his first 100-yard game of the season, breaking a couple of big plays Sunday. Back-to-back matchups against weak secondaries makes him an even more appealing play.
Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Lions – Shaun Hill is back at quarterback and absolutely loves this guy. He has exceptional value in PPR leagues
*Make sure they’re not still available: Malcom Floyd

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Here is some advice on working the waiver wire in your fantasy league (for personal advice email larry at larrybrownsports.com):

Matchups to Avoid (at your discretion): Steelers defense, Ravens defense, Giants pass defense, Chargers pass defense, and Bears pass defense.

Matchups to Exploit (at your discretion): Houston, Buffalo, Jacksonville, New England and Dallas’ secondary. Buffalo, Arizona, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Denver, and Indy’s run defense. Start a defense playing Carolina, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Our one-week monster plays went off this past weekend: Mark Sanchez had over 300 yards and two TDs, Seyi Ajirotutu had over 100 yards and two touchdowns, and the Saints demolished the Panthers. If it’s available, whichever defense is playing Carolina is the best one to start in a given week. Here is some other advice using our best judgment:

James Jones, WR, Packers – He has back-to-back 100-yard games after catching 8 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown Sunday and he looked great working with Aaron Rodgers.
Santonio Holmes, WR, Jets – Recorded his first 100-yard game of the season, breaking a couple of big plays Sunday. Back-to-back matchups against weak secondaries makes him an even more appealing play.
Jon Beason, LB, Panthers – Don Connor got placed on injured reserve so Beason will move back to middle linebacker where he’s likely to rack up tackles. I know I’m picking him up as an IDP in my league.
*Make sure they’re not still available: Jacob Tamme, Dez Bryant

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Here is some advice on working the waiver wire in your fantasy league (for personal advice email larry at larrybrownsports.com):

Matchups to Avoid (at your discretion): Steelers defense, Ravens defense, Giants pass defense, Chargers pass defense.

Matchups to Exploit (at your discretion): Houston, Buffalo, Jacksonville, and New England’s secondary. Buffalo, Arizona, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Denver, and Indy’s run defense. Start a defense playing Carolina, Arizona, Cleveland, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Hopefully you acted last week to pick up some of the players we recommended because you’ll have a lot of competition working the waiver wire this week. Here are some players to keep in mind when you submit your claims:

LeGarrette Blount, RB, Bucs – He was one of our players to watch last week and blew up with two touchdowns and over 100 yards. He’s no secret anymore so just make sure he’s on your team instead of one of your rivals.
Mike Hart, RB, Colts – Hopefully you listened to us when we told you he was a must-have last week. He looked really good on Monday night running for 84 yards. He’s a nice fill-in while Joseph Addai is out.
Jacob Tamme, TE, Colts – Like Hart, we recommended Tamme last week and hope you picked him up. He dropped a pass early but picked it up with six catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. He can keep it up.
Paul Posluszny, LB, Bills – Someone may have dropped him after their bye two weeks ago. Whether Buffalo plays a 3-4 or 4-3 defense doesn’t matter — Posluszny racks up the tackles.
Desmond Bishop, LB, Packers – He’s had double-digit tackle totals each week since gaining the starting job because of injury. As we saw against the Vikings, he’s also good in coverage.

*Make sure they’re not still available: Matthew Stafford, BenJarvus Green-Ellis

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Here is some advice on working the waiver wire in your fantasy league (for personal advice email larry at larrybrownsports.com):

Matchups to Avoid (at your discretion): Steelers defense, Ravens defense, Giants pass defense, Chargers pass defense.

Matchups to Exploit (at your discretion): Houston, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Oakland, and New England’s secondary. Buffalo, Oakland, Arizona, Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Indy’s run defense. Start a defense playing Carolina, Arizona, Cleveland, and San Francisco.

I know it’s the bye week for many of players and you’ll need some replacements, but unfortunately there aren’t many must-have type guys. You can find some guys to plug holes, but not many difference makers.

Donald Brown, RB, Colts – Joseph Addai will probably be out a month with his shoulder injury. Whoever gets the bulk of the carries will have lots of fantasy value and be a good bet for a touchdown each week. I’m thinking it will be Brown.
Mike Hart, RB, Colts – Hart has been receiving carries and will likely have a strong role in the offense with Addai out. He and Brown are both worth pickups, but Brown will probably be the man.

*Make sure they’re not still available: Kenny Britt

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Here is some advice on working the waiver wire in your fantasy league (for personal advice email larry at larrybrownsports.com):

Matchups to Avoid (at your discretion): Steelers defense, Ravens defense, Jets rush defense, Giants pass defense, Chargers pass defense.

Matchups to Exploit (at your discretion): Houston, Seattle, Jacksonville, Oakland, and New England’s secondary. Buffalo, Oakland, Arizona, Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Indy’s run defense. Start a defense playing Carolina, Arizona, Cleveland, and San Francisco.

Deion Branch, WR, Patriots – His 9 catches and 98 yards were the most he’s had in a game since 2007. He already showed instant chemistry with Tom Brady, so grab him if he’s still available.
Patrick Crayton, WR, Chargers – Had 6 catches for 117 yards taking over once Floyd and Naanee got hurt. With Floyd out this week, expect Crayton to see plenty of action.
Heath Miller, TE, Steelers – We told you last week he would make an excellent addition to your roster and he delivered by catching his first TD of the season. Big Ben loves him. You should too.
Cameron Wake, LB, Dolphins – He’s been a sack machine, getting to the quarterback in four of five games including a three sack performance against the Packers. The former CFL product is legit.
*Make sure they’re not still available: Kenny Britt

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As well as one can draft their fantasy football team, inevitably a combination of injuries and surprises arise throughout the year. As a result, working the waiver wire is a key component of winning your fantasy league. Here is some advice on whom to pick up and whom to leave alone in the free agent pool (for personal advice email larry at larrybrownsports.com):

With bye weeks in full effect, working the waiver wire for replacement players is as important as ever. The pickings are slim this week for fill-in quarterbacks, unlike last week where the likes of Shaun Hill and David Garrard were stars. There really aren’t many new running backs to recommend, but the player group with the most movement is wide receivers. Most of our advice centers around wide receivers because new players continue to emerge. Also, five weeks into the season we have very good ideas about what to exploit and avoid in fantasy land.

Matchups to Avoid (at your discretion): Steelers defense, Ravens defense, Jets rush defense, Giants pass defense

Matchups to Exploit (at your discretion): Houston, Seattle, Jacksonville, and New England’s secondary. Buffalo, Oakland, Arizona, Tampa Bay, and Indy’s run defense. Start a defense playing Carolina, Arizona, and San Francisco.

Steve Johnson, WR, Bills – We’ve recommended him for two weeks in a row so he might be gone in your league, but he now has a touchdown catch in three straight weeks. As Ryan Fitzpatrick’s favorite target, he’s looking like a nice sleeper. Keep in mind he’s on a bye if you do pick him up.
Kenny Britt, WR, Titans – Much like Johnson, we’ve recommended Britt for two weeks in a row and he also has caught a touchdown in three straight weeks. With Justin Gage out, expect this to continue.
Danny Amendola, WR, Rams – We already noted Amendola as a guy to pick up with Mark Clayton’s injury, but it’s worth mentioning again. He sees a lot of passes and is great for PPR leagues.
Osi Umenyiora, DE, Giants – He used to be one of the top pass rushers in the league and appears to be completely recovered from knee surgery. Six sacks in four games? Now that’s what I’m talking about!
*Make sure they’re not still available: LaRon Landry, Brandon Lloyd

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As well as one can draft their fantasy football team, inevitably a combination of injuries and surprises arise throughout the year. As a result, working the waiver wire is a key component of winning your fantasy league. Here is some advice on whom to pick up and whom to leave alone in the free agent pool (for personal advice email larry at larrybrownsports.com):

So last week some of our recommendations for pickups included Lance Moore, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Chad Henne, Brandon Lloyd, and Matt Bryant. We also told you to keep your eye on Willis McGahee who scored against the Steelers, and Kenny Britt who scored against the Broncos. Obviously we know what we’re talking about, so don’t be afraid to follow our advice.

As far as trends go, through four weeks of the season we have some good ideas about what to exploit and avoid.

Matchups to Avoid (at your discretion): Steelers defense, Ravens defense, Jets rush defense

Matchups to Exploit (at your discretion): Houston, Seattle, Jacksonville, and New England’s secondary. Oakland, Buffalo, Arizona, and Indy’s run defense. Start a defense playing Carolina, Buffalo, Arizona, and San Francisco.

Ryan Torain, RB, Redskins – Averaging 4.6ypc with Washington and scored a touchdown last week. Clinton Portis has essentially declared himself out for Sunday’s game. Torain is a decent add for this week and could get plenty of carries down the line.
Fred Jackson, RB, Bills – The trade of Marshawn Lynch opens things up for Jackson who racked up yardage totals last year. Don’t expect many scores out of Fred, but he could get you eight points as a bye week replacement.
Michael Bush, RB, Raiders – Darren McFadden sustained his annual injury and Bush should be ready to step in and take over. He probably is on someone’s roster, but check to make sure.
Paul Posluszny, LB, Bills – The tackling machine is back and had 12 tackles on Sunday. Make sure he wasn’t dropped in your IDP league.
James Anderson, LB, Panthers – Double-digit tackles in 3 of 4 games, plus he’s added in a pick and a sack. Looks like the new IDP stud on that defense.
*Make sure they’re not still available: Kyle Orton, Mark Sanchez, Patrick Chung

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Lance Moore, WR, Saints – He’s not going to get easy 80-yard touchdown catches like that again, but he did have 10 touchdowns in 2008 and his six catch, 149 yard day makes him desirable.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, Patriots – Injuries and a trade have opened this spot up in New England and it looks like the lawfirm will be the beneficiary. The Pats actually run it when they’re up and looking to burn clock, so you can do worse as a starting running back than him.
Paris Lenon, LB, Cardinals – Has averaged nine tackles per game and even picked up a sack and interception against the Raiders. The high tackle totals should continue.
*Make sure they’re not still available: Peyton Hillis, Kyle Orton

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